● monday, august 8, 2011 ● serving texas a&m since 1893 ● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2011 student media

thebattalionEditor’s

noteThe Battalion will resume publishing Aug. 24 during Gig ‘em Week

news for you

campusA&M cuts back on energy In a memo to the campus community, President Loftin asked to help conserve energy on campus for the remainder of August. Loftin said to shut off all unneeded lights in offi ces, classrooms and lab areas. Building space temperatures in non-critical areas should be set back to 78 F, from the 75 F campus standard at 3 p.m. everyday.

Connie Thompson,staff writer

lowest gas price

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Pilot’s confused landingHOUSTON — A Mexican military helicopter has landed in Texas by mistake. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the helicopter landed Saturday afternoon at Laredo International Airport after the pilot mistook the airport for a landing strip in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Laredo Port of Entry spokeswoman Mucia Dovalina said customs agents checked out the helicopter’s occupants .

nation&world

Rescue mission goes badKABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. Navy SEALs and other troops whose helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan had rushed to the mountainous area to help a U.S. Army Ranger unit that was under fi re from insurgents, two U.S. offi cials said Sunday. The rescue team had completed the mission, subduing the attackers who had the Rangers pinned down, and were departing in their Chinook helicopter when the aircraft was apparently hit, one of the offi cials said. Thirty Americans and 8 Afghans were killed in the crash, making it the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war in Afghanistan.

Associated Press

Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION

College transcripts are a poor measure in politics

What’s in a grade?

While releases like this make for fun facts and cute analysis it should be asked, “Why should we care?”

College scores can be a great indicator of skill right out of college. They’re help-ful for getting into graduate school and as-cending the ivory tower, and they indicate a student’s proficiency in each subject. When evaluating a 61-year-old potential presiden-tial candidate low grades are both meaningless and not uncommon.

George W. Bush joked about being a C stu-dent at Yale with a four-year average of 77. The “complex” John Kerry had a four-year average of 76 also at Yale. While Rick Perry, the face

of the Texas economy, received a D in prin-ciples of economics, Al Gore, the face of global warming, received a D in Natural Sciences his sophomore year and a C-plus in natural sciences his senior year at Harvard. The Washington Post said in 2000, “[Gore’s] generally middling col-lege grades at Harvard in fact bear a close resem-blance to the corresponding Yale marks of his presidential opponent, George W. Bush.”

The point isn’t to deride Bush, Kerry, Gore or Perry, but that college transcripts are only a snapshot of a person’s life. Transcripts may give you a glimpse of Perry the student but they tell little about Governor Perry.

Drawing conclusions from information al-

most four decades old is a fool’s errand. It would be just as absurd to assess college

students by when they began walking.It would be nonsensical to observe that Rick

Perry earned a D in economics as a democrat while as a Republican governor, Texas has cre-ated 37 percent of all-net new jobs in America since the recovery began according to Richard Fisher of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

While we’re using old information to draw ridiculous conclusions it should be obvious that Perry is smarter and more driven than the college dropout Bill Gates.

The perversion of Perry’s 39-year-old tran-

Taylor Wolken The Battalion

See Grades on page 3

The release of Governor and potential presidential candidate Rick Perry’s Texas A&M transcript set off

a media frenzy this weekend as commentators and columnists feasted on the underwhelming scores.

EDITORIAL

Graduates ready for commencement

More than 1,800 Aggies are set to gradu-ate this week, and it all starts Thursday with a commencement convocation address by Aggie Head Football Coach Mike Sherman.

Having spoken to a variety of groups on campus during his time at A&M, Sherman will make his address at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Rud-der Auditorium.

“Coach Sherman is an extraordinary individ-ual in addition to being an exceptional coach and leader of young men, and he has thoroughly embraced the Aggie Spirit and all the traditions that we hold dear,” Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin said when announcing Sher-man’s selection as the University’s summer con-vocation speaker. “He will undoubtedly bring a message that will be inspiring and well received by our degree candidates, their families and oth-ers attending commencement convocation.”

Senior Corps member and former Aggie Band Drum Major Austin Welty will be in at-tendance to hear Sherman’s prelude speech be-fore receiving his diploma on Friday.

“I’ve really enjoyed listening to him speak. You can tell he has a lot of passion for the school,” Welty said. “He has a lot of great things

Jared Baxter The Battalion

campus

Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION

Whether it be football, basketball, baseball or any sport out there, the longstanding rivalry between Texas A&M and The University of Texas never fails to cause a stir amongst fans. In the modern age of Facebook and Twitter, the competition extends beyond the playing field and onto the Internet. Aggies can show their pride on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/tamu where U.T. holds a 317,143 to 285,011 lead in “likes.” U.T.’s The Daily Texan newspaper currently edges The Battalion in number of “likes” on Facebook 2,918 to 2,440. To tip the scales in favor of A&M, visit the official Battalion Facebook page and click “like.” Readers can also follow @thebattonline to receive the latest news and updates via Twitter.

Thanks & Gig ’em◗ Graduation ceremonies will be at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday at Reed Arena.

See Speech on page 3

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THE BATTALION (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Station, TX 77840. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, Texas A&M University, 1111 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1111.

News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. News offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3313; Fax: 979-845-2647; E-mail: metro@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com.

Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2696. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Advertising offices are in The Grove, Bldg. 8901, and office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fax: 979-845-2678.

Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Mail subscriptions are $125 per school year. To charge by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, call 979-845-2613.

Taylor Wolken, Editor in Chief

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PROCEDUREPROCEDUREThrough the month Through the month

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fully equipped

2 FinalsFinal exams

will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Visit http://registrar.tamu.edu/General/FinalSchedule.aspx#_Summer10_2011 for fi nal exam schedules.

1 Last dayToday is

the last day of second term and 10-week semester classes.

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Tuesday hot high: 104 low: 75Wednesday hot high: 104 low: 78Thursday hot high: 104 low: 78

3 Grades due

Grades are due for degree candidates 12 p.m. Thursday. Visit http://registrar.tamu.edu/General/Calendar.aspx for more information.

Construction update

Photos by David Godinez — THE BATTALION

Crocker, Moore and McInnis Halls are being torn down and the first dormitory to be built in 22 years will replace the three dorms.The new The five-story facility will house 640 beds and 272 dorm rooms. Completion is set for June 2013.

Olsen Field is currently under construction. The baseball stadium will include the addition of a two-story baseball operations center, renovation of the field-level amenities, expansion of the concourse level, renovation of the exterior façade, expanded seating and will include club and luxury suite seating. The park’s new name will be Blue Bell Park at Olsen Field. Complete is set for early 2012.

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to say, and he’s brought a lot of fantastic things to the foot-ball program. Not only on the football field as a team, but I believe he also brings a lot of character and a lot of devotion to the game.”

Welty commissions the day of his graduation and will head to Quantico, Virginia as part of the Marine Corps in March for six months of training. The A-Company brigade mem-ber and history major plans to work in the military the next four to five years and plans to see how things pan out.

“I could see myself doing a military career and doing twenty or thirty years there,” Welty said.

Being the Aggie drum ma-jor and leader of the A&M marching band was one of the “most cherished experi-ences” of Welty’s life, but even with it all now coming to an official end, he’s ready to move forward.

“It’s definitely bittersweet. I love being in the Corps. Just like anything you do, there are parts of it you don’t like. The friendships that I’ve built, the relationships that I’ve built, are going to last a lifetime. The lessons that I’ve learned from the Corps are going to help me without a doubt and I’m grateful for the experience. I’m going to miss it at times, but part of life is taking what you learned and moving on.”

With more than 30 cadets expected to be sworn in as military officers, Welty will be one of several graduates leav-ing for far-away places. And like many who leave college, he wants to stay in touch no matter the distance.

“I’ve got friends that are go-ing to all four corners of the world, and I plan on keeping in contact with them the best that I can.”

script is a manifestation of ivory-tower elitism at its worst.

This pervasive dogma tells us that our measured academ-ic achievement during a four-year period is more important than all our life lessons.

It’s absurd considering real world employers rarely care about college grades after a graduate’s first job.

In the real world, a col-lege degree quickly becomes nothing more than a check-mark among more important items like work history and special skills.

This dogma would have us believe Rick Perry’s D in Shakespeare is more relevant than a record consisting of years as a state legislator, ag-riculture commissioner, lieu-tenant governor, and almost a decade as governor.

This dogma implies that Rick Perry’s C in gym mat-ters more than issues like Gardasil, the Trans-Texas corridor and the seven solu-tions for higher education.

This culture of elitism is the reason every administra-tion has a parade of eggheads running back and forth be-tween Washington, D.C. and the ivory tower. These experts and policy wonks are evaluated on academics by academics more often than unemployment rates and eco-nomic growth.

That’s not to say we don’t need eggheads and policy wonks, every politician has them, but when evaluat-ing a leader, an F in organic chemistry is far less important than the decisions made after graduation.

As the longest-serving cur-rent governor of the second-largest state economy, Perry has relevant points of criti-cism. His college transcript is not one of them.

SpeechContinued from page 1

GradesContinued from page 1

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thebattalion

voicespage 4

monday 8.8.2011

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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily refl ect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNSMake your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns to The Battalion. Mail

call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns. Anonymous letters will be read,

but not printed. The Battalion will print only one letter per author per month. No mail call will appear in The Battalion’s print or online editions before it is verifi ed.

Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion

(979) 845-3315 mailcall@thebatt.com

EDITOR’SNOTE

Taylor Wolken: Seven breakthrough

solutions: Part 4

Breakthrough solution number

four is straightforward, “Re-

quire Evidence of Teaching

Skill for Tenure.” The title simul-

taneously projects an animosity

toward tenured professors while

backhandedly implying that univer-

sities award tenure arbitrarily, perhaps

throwing darts at a board.

r

r-

haps

There is little instruction on how this would be implemented but what is sug-gested has a magical, pulling a rabbit out of a hat feeling.

The first step for implementation redun-dantly titled, “Require Evidence of Teach-ing Skill for Tenure,” states:

“The majority of new tenure appoint-ments (say 75 percent) will be granted to professors who have proven that they can teach well by having taught on average three classes per semester and thirty students per class for the seven or more years that a teacher is on the tenure track.”

“Say 75 percent?” Is there any better way to establish your numbers are entirely made up?

And why would only 75 percent of professors receiving tenure be required to meet the requirements of tenure?

It’s hard to take any other numbers seriously after pulling a 75 percent rabbit out of your hat but let’s think about the other suggestions.

Teaching three classes per semester on average goes after professors primarily vested in research. This seems consistent with the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s views on research. However, A&M is a top tier public research university. It’s hard to implement an idea that goes against a pri-mary function of Texas A&M.

Furthermore what about research? Teach-ing three classes and doing research is better than just teaching three classes but why bother with research if class time is all that counts? How does that affect our graduate students and the status of Texas A&M?

Teaching thirty or more students penal-izes professors who teach smaller but neces-sary classes. Upper level classes are smaller, nursing classes are smaller. Is teaching three classes with 30 people really more efficient than two with 60?

This all seems arbitrary.

The second and last step for imple-menting solution number four once again involves student satisfaction ratings. It states:

“Average teaching ratings must be a min-imum of 4.5 on a 5.0 scale. Limits might be placed on the number of A’s and B’s awarded if the efficacy of customer (student) satisfaction ratings are questioned.”

How does one decide on 4.5? Rab-bit. Hat. How many professors meet that standard? Is that reasonable or absurd? Do faculty ratings change on average by depart-ment, class difficulty or institution?

Why are we using the student satis-faction ratings as such an integral

part of the metric when their credibility is questioned? Is limiting the number of A’s and B’s really going to make them more credible or just deflate the teachers ratings?

Furthermore, if limiting the number of A’s and B’s is going

to change the way students rate teachers isn’t that admitting that just

getting a good grade is a significant part of how students evaluate teachers? That under-mines the entire purpose of using student evaluations in the first place.

The seven solutions keep trying to imple-ment static measures on dynamic activities and place far too much weight on student evaluations.

You can’t cobble together bits of infor-mation, throw in a few arbitrary numerical standards, add in a student survey and call it a breakthrough solution. It’s far more similar to a note scribbled on a dirty napkin than a breakthrough solution. Call number four a bust.

Taylor Wolken is a junior economics major and editor-in-chief of The Battalion.

Solution number four is to “Require Evidence of

Teaching Skill for Tenure.”

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